quot;Dr. Malone,quot; said Lyra in t;ill and me  to look for our daemons.  to do. But  be  t  to go and look.quot;

    quot;; said Mary, er urbed nigo itiously, for tprints. So far s found any.

    quot;Dont kno; said Lyra. quot;But t ttle, t trust us anymore. Cant say I blame t  imes, so maybe ;

    quot;Listen,quot; Mary said reluctantly, and told Lyra about t before.

    As so join tened, wide-eyed and serious.

    quot; a traveler and ; Lyra said o be all kinds of openings nourned around and left,   to do anyt;

    quot;I dont kno like it. And Im  you going off on your o kno. O kno please be careful. Please look all around. At least out on t;

    quot;If raigo anot o  us,quot; ill said.

    termined to go, and Mary ant to argue.

    quot;At least,quot; s;promise t you  go in among trees. If t man is still around,  be  see ime to escape.quot;

    quot;e promise,quot; said Lyra.

    quot;ell, Ill pack you some food in case youre out all day.quot;

    Mary took some flat bread and c, t-quencs, ied a cord around it for one of to carry over a shoulder.

    quot;Good ing,quot; s. quot;Please take care.quot;

    Sill anxious. Sood co t of the slope.

    quot;I he ridge.

    quot;S; said Lyra. quot;And if oryll still be  t;

    quot;Mmm,quot; said ill. quot;Dyou t;

    quot;Dunno. I dont suppose Ive got a   Jordan College, and I cant live cians. I  mind t, if t;

    quot; about Lord Asriels  you  to live t;

    quot;Its going to fail, remember,quot; she said.

    quot;;

    quot;Because of  said, just before . About daemons, and ime if tay in t probably Lord Asriel, I mean my father,

    couldnt  about t, because no one knearted... All t,quot; s;all t bravery and skill... All t, all ed! All for not;

    top of topped and looked back.

    quot;ill,quot; s;supposing  find t;

    quot;Im sure ;

    quot;You saion of manners to touce as someone elses daemon. It  only by politeness, but by somet, somet ills  as well as she did.

    t ill, not put off by being s;op c;

    quot;About... I suppose about our age, or a bit older. Maybe more sometimes. e used to talk about Pan settling, o wonder w hed be...”

    quot;Dont people ;

    quot;Not  t be t be t... And usually t fits. I mean someture. Like if your daemons a dog, t means you like doing old, and knos are people o find .  t;

    quot;I dont kno kno and quiet and  knod be difficult  you just by looking. I like to keep secret and stay out of sig;

    quot;ts good at  looks like anotterfly t looks like a  ures like t in your world, because we ;

    toget savanna rolled, broy. t he world.

    quot;But its not empty really,quot; Lyra said.

    quot;You mean t man?quot;

    quot;No. You kno;

    quot;Yes, I do. I can see s; ill said.

    tle darting movements  easier to see t look at to so to Lyra, s;Its negative capability.quot;

    quot;s t?quot;

    quot;t Keats said it first. Dr. Malone knos er. Its  it?quot;

    quot;Yes, I suppose it is. But I  t t be t;

    quot;So ...quot;

    S o her lips. he nodded.

    quot;Look,quot; ;trees.quot;

    It ree. t up to it carefully, keeping an eye on t breeze stirring t seemed impossible t a migopple, but  was.

    t trunk, supported in ts torn-up roots and out on t trees ill ree, tig still looked sturdy, leaves t ill green, too the mild air.

    Suddenly Lyra gripped ills arm.

    quot;S; s;Dont look. Im sure t ;

    t mass of leaves and brancending to gaze vacantly at t tention o t! , t  tree. And beside it, another.

    quot;alk a; ill said under ;ell go somew;

    quot;Suppose t... But yes, all rig; Lyra whispered back.

    tended to look all around; t ting on tending to climb; tended to cheir heads and walking away.

    quot;I wis; Lyra said whey were a few hundred yards away.

    quot;Just go on  get lost. to us o.quot;

    tepped off to tems, cs ing, fluttering, skimming, he million-voiced chorus chirrup and scrape.

    quot; are you going to do, ill?quot; Lyra said quietly after theyd walked some way in silence.

    quot;ell, Ive got to go ; he said.

    S hough. She hoped he sounded unsure.

    quot;But t still be after you,quot; s;t;

    quot;eve seen er all.quot;

    quot;Yes, I suppose... But I ed to sed us to...quot;

    quot;Yea; ;and I ed... It o go to Cittagazze again, even. It iful place, and if ters are all gone... But t to go back and look after  left s not fair on eit;

    quot;But its not fair on you to o do t.quot;

    quot;No,quot; ;but ts a different sort of not fair. ts just like an eartorm. It mig be fair, but no ones to blame. But if I just leave my mot very  kind of not fair. t  got to go  probably its going to be difficult to go back as s out no suppose Mrs. Cooper er  if my motimes  o go into some kind of institution.quot;

    quot;No! Like an orp;

    quot;I ts  dont kno.quot;

    quot;You could escape o my ;

    quot;I still belong to look after erfere t;

    quot;Dyou t married?quot;

    for a long time. Shough.

    quot;I cant see t far a; ;It ... I dont t in my  married?quot;

    quot;Me too,quot; s;Not to anyone in my ;

    teadily, oime in time the world had.

    After a  you? So you could visit my ;

    quot;Of course. I certainly  give it to anyone else, ever.quot;

    quot;Dont look...” s altering ;t.quot;

    quot;t; said ill, delighted.

    quot;S;

    quot;I t t pretend no s of stupid places.quot;

    It became a game. t to be ser beetles or slugs; tree at tring-ending to  in t fuss of an ant so rodden on, sympats bruises, saying its face  like Pans, asking in mock sorroo speak to her.

    But  of ears, sly to ill, leaning close to speak quietly:

    quot;e o leave t  ;

    quot;Yes,

    all. Because you made a promise to Roger, and you o keep it.quot;

    quot;And you o speak to your fat;

    quot;And  t.quot;

    quot;Yes, oo,  up. It ;

    As to look for soo of a ridge, and ;ell! If  find somew;

    t  be a stream as raversed till it dipped into t of the rock.

    t faces in ter and sefully, and tream do gature one, and all time get fuller and wider.

    quot; do t?quot; Lyra marveled. quot;ter coming into it from any ;

    ill, c of to disappear into ted silently.

    quot;It just goes slo; ;It doesnt flo as t, so it gat; ing a little group of trees at t of the slope.

    t eacting off to folloream. t t doream  into tunnels of green and emerged in dappled clearings, only to tumble over a lip of stone and bury itself in to follo as muc.

    At t of t ran into ttle rees.

    Fatcop of t  been o folloe Marys confidence in ty of concealment in ts of string- of time earlier looking all around as if t to keep some distance a as ttention to the landscape.

    t  to do  person. to make sure of arget o get close enougo see  folloo the wood.

    Quietly and cautiously ream. le fleing t  e, and s t of ttle aem of grass, and  for  trail in t t be  to mortal sin.

    crees. t looked back once since coming over top of t ill kept loream at a croucher.

    o success no for t time ing on aying to evangelize t to do o convince tures,  t of riding on rary to t, and salvation would follow.

    of trees began, and laid tly.

    o tened, o catc voices t crickle of tream. Yes: topped.

    to pick up the rifle…

    And found tering a ched his daemon and pulled her away from him.

    But trocious.  about o left and right, looking for her.

    quot;Keep still,quot; said a voice from t;and be quiet. I ;

    quot;But, w;

    quot;My name is Balt; said the voice.

    ill and Lyra folloream into ttle, until ter.

    ttle clearing in t grass and moss-covered rocks. t sting out tting ttle moving spangles and sequins of sunlig everyth gold and silver.

    And it . Only trickle of tream, and tle of leaves tle curl of breeze, broke the silence.

    ill put do dole rucksack. tely alone.

    took off t do tream, dipping t in ter and feeling t invigorate their blood.

    quot;Im ; ill said.

    quot;Me too,quot; said Lyra, t, somet s quite sure  was.

    te some bread and casted t baking-stones, and ty and very fresh.

    took one of ttle red fruits. it-beating , surned to ;ill...quot;

    And sed t gently to h.

    S  once  oo joyful to speak. ill at  tremble, and  o h happiness.

    Like toget t, touc ogetoward eacher.

    quot;Like Mary said,quot; ;you knoraigain, before sook you aold Pan...”

    quot;I ; s;I ed to tell you t I must  all time: I love you, ill, I love you...”

    t , and  face over and over again, drinking in ion t of  , moist mout tasted of ttle red fruit.

    Around t silence, as if all ts breath.

    Balterrified.

    ream and acinging, biting insect daemon, and trying to conceal umbling after them.

    nt let c Fat. An angel of c angel rong and  ed ill before. rengto fly.

    quot;Stop, stop,quot; said Fat;Please keep still. I cant see you, lets talk, please, dont  my daemon, I beg you...”

    In fact, ting Balttle green to  for a moment, s them closed.

    quot;t; ;follo to talk to you, and t;

    quot;But ill I see you? Keep still, dont move so quickly!quot;

    But moving quickly rying to ignore tinging daemon, tle gully epping from rock to rock.

    take: trying to look be a foot into ter.

    quot;A; came a ion as Fathe splash.

    Balt at once and  no print appeared on time   do sa and leapt for thers on his hand.

    opped in astonis: ted in  to stumble for felt er al pang wrenc.

    Balt;A little fart to top of talk, I promise.quot;

    quot;talk op ouc;

    t reply: it oo o concentrate. o split tention to avoid to see ing his hands.

    As for t, ruly dangerous opponent ter tagonist o strike.

    it in mind  umble, and uttered little moans of pain, and pleaded once or to stop, all time cimating her was, how quickly he could move, which way he was looking.

    quot;Please,quot; ;you dont kno do you any op and talk?quot;

    to move out of sig t wream began, and  very lig canding.

    Balturned around. t raised o t t time: just a s taking it.

    t quite close enougo reac, trutake anotep or two...

    quot;Sit do; said Balt;Sit doep closer.quot;

    quot; do you ?quot; said Fat moving.

    quot; do I ? I  to kill you, but I  got trengt;

    quot;But are you an angel?quot;

    quot; does it matter?quot;

    quot;You migake. e mig;

    quot;No, . I  move. Stay t;

    quot;Its not too late to repent. Even angels are alloo do t. Let me ;

    quot;O; cried Balturning away.

    And as , Fat for  t a o save  go of t daemon. tle fle once, and Fat a surge of relief and strengt, it   form of ted so mucance t, t  keep  slipped; um carried oream; and ; Balt Barucs  out for support.

    Fat a stone, and unned er. t once, but as ried to rise, Balte, ignored tinging tle  t it t it there.

    go. t of tream and laid it carefully on ts  and closing his eyes.

    tood up, sick and weary and full of pain.

    quot;Baruc; ;o truly I died w;

    A moment later, he was gone.

    In te afternoon , Mary als voice, and s tell excitement from alarm: ree fallen? he rifle appeared?

    Look! Look! Atal  runk, so Mary took ting it up to the sky.

    tell me s doing! said Atal. I can feel it is different, but I cant see.

    terrible flood of Dust in topped flo  still, by any means; Mary scanned t ex fart ual movement, but it  flo, if anyt was falling like snowflakes.

    S of trees: t opened up feel t in ts, wly s, and warved for so long.

    tal.

    Mary turned, spyglass in o see ill and Lyra returning. t alking togeto everyt even from a distance.

    S to  urned it to . t so be made of living gold. true image of ance.

    t pouring doars urated  all.